Beautiful Disaster
by mallory2930
Summary: Rachel/Santana - Pezberry - To everyone at school Santana Lopez is the toughest cheerio there is. But what happens when one girl discovers that Santana isn't as strong as she may seem. - Summary Sucks, Give it a chance.
1. Chapter 1

"Alright, quiet guys! We have to get the final number for Nationals prepared and we can't do that if nobody will pay attention!" Mr. Shue shouted, clapping has hands together for emphasis.

In the back row a certain black haired cheerio snapped her head upwards, wiping the tiny bit of drool off her chin and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Things at home were bad again, her parents were fighting nonstop, which led her nine year old sister to huddle in Santana's room at night as Santana murmured soothing words to her until the small girl fell asleep in her arms leaving the older sister to spend the entire night in a sleepless daze, wondering about the fate of her fragile family.

"So does anybody have any ideas? If not, I have a Journey song in mind." Shue questioned the non-responsive teenagers. Almost instantly a small hand shot up. Santana's tired eyes landed on the pint sized diva in the front row with her hand still raised in the air, her small frame almost jumping out of her chair in excitement.

"Anybody?" Shue spoke again, his eyes purposely avoiding the tiny diva. The girl strained and reached her hand even higher, her chocolate eyes dancing with anticipation.

"Mr. Shue! I have one." Rachel Berry finally spoke up. Shue's eyes rolled slightly before settling on the diva.

"You always do Rachel," He retorted. Rachel's eyebrows raised slightly before she took a deep breathe preparing herself for the monologue that all of New Directions knew was imminent.

"As all of you well know, with my vast knowledge of Broadway, I have prepared a list of about twenty-three songs that all showcase my obvious vocal talent. These songs range from Les Mis, to Wicked, to Funny Girl and-"

"Yes Rachel, we'll put those into consideration." Shue interrupted. The small girl huffed and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and scowling. Santana's mouth curled into a smile as she stifled a giggle at the diva's reaction. The latina would never admit it but she loved how enthusiastic Rachel was about glee club and how she threw temper tantrums whenever someone ignored her. She glanced to the left and her eyes connected with the very confused and almost angry hazel eyes of Quinn Fabray. Santana's smile immediately dropped and her eyes snapped forward.

"Yeah, shut up Berry." She routinely growled out, thankful for the look of almost relief that flashed across Quinn's features. Pain crossed Rachel's features for a mere second before she erased it and began a staring contest with the floor by her feet. The heavy feeling of regret constricted Santana's chest briefly as she regarded that chuckles from her fellow glee members, each laugh causing the small brunettes head to droop even lower.

Shue groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. "Well it's obvious we're going nowhere today, so let's draw names for roommates at Nationals and then we'll call it a day." One by one the club walked up to their designated hat. One hat for the boys, and one for the girls. By the reactions of the students they liked who they were roomed with. Finn with Sam, Puck with Artie and Mike due to the odd numbers of guys. Then the girls drew names, Mercedes drew Tina before Brittany slowly walked up to the hat. Santana closed her eyes and begged for her name to be drawn. As much as she loved Quinn, she could not handle the head cheerio's mood swings when she was tired, and if she got stuck with Berry she was convinced that the singer would attempt to murder her as some sort of punishment for all the bullying throughout the years, plus she could not deal with a whole week of that girl's rants.

"Quinn." Brittany spoke, looking up and beaming at the other cheerio before going back to her seat.

Santana paled before swallowing thickly, clearing her throat and putting her face back on. The face she'd created to hide from everyone at this hell hole of a school. As soon as her walls were fully re-enforced she turned to Rachel and loudly scoffed. "Ew, there is no way that I'm getting stuck with Man hands for an entire week."

Shue almost laughed but hid it with a cough. "Sorry Santana, that's the way it's going to be."

"Gross." Santana sneered. "Fine, but I'm making a list of rules." She stood, stepping down in front of Rachel and staring down at her. "Rule number one Rupaul. No staring at me when I'm getting changed."

Rachel visibly winced and leaned backwards as far away from the latina as she possibly could. Santana hesitated for a split second before sneering and turning on her heel, violently pushing the door open and leaving the room without looking back.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thanks for all the alerts and reviews with this story :) I really appreciate it, and it inspires me to continue. - Remember, more reviews, faster updates.

A/N #2 – Yes, I did name Santana's sister Naya.. I got a laugh out of it haha.

A week had past which meant it was the day before the glee club left for Nationals in New York. Santana left her bedroom, hoisting her worn backpack over one shoulder before she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, greeted with the sight of her sister Naya sitting at the small table, eating a bowl of cereal. "Hey Kiddo." Santana called before kissing the top of Naya's read and ruffling her hair. The small girl giggled and shoved Santana's hand away.

"Morning San." She smiled brightly before looking back down and poking at her cereal. "Are you going to eat anything today.." Naya asked timidly.

"Um." Santana faltered. "Nah, I have.. cheerios weigh in today."

"Naya's head dropped slightly. "Yeah.. okay." She muttered.

The sound of their parents loudly fighting made it's way down the stairs and Santana reached over and turned the radio on to drown it out. "It's okay Nay. I promise." Santana rubbed Naya's shoulder gently. "Just finish up your breakfast and I'll take you to school." 

Naya nodded slowly before returning to poking at her cereal with her spoon. The yelling soon stopped and heavy footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Santana glanced up and was met with her father. He was disheveled to say the least. His tie hung loose around his neck and his dress shirt was half untucked. The fire raging in his eyes was unmistakable and Santana calmly took a step in front of Naya and crossed her arms, an obvious protective gesture. Her father's eyes narrowed slightly and Santana raised an eyebrow, silently daring him to do anything that would give her a reason to beat the shit out of him. He scoffed before roughly brushing past her and out to the garage to leave for work. Santana took a deep breath and released her clenched fists.

"San?" Naya called timidly.

"Yeah kiddo."

"We can go now if you want."

"Yeah.. let's go.."

After dropping Naya off at school, Santana drove towards McKinley High in a daze, thinking about nothing but the fate of her family. As she pulled into the parking lot, she parked as far away from the school as she possibly could. Near the back field, next to the dumpsters. She dropped her forehead down onto the steering wheel and wrapped her arms around herself, desperately trying to keep herself together.

The latina's head lifted quickly when she heard the first muffled scream. She looked around curiously, wondering where the outburst had come from. The scream erupted once more. Santana's head swiveled left in the direction of the scream. Which was apparently coming from within the dumpster beside her car. She groaned wondering which geek Karofsky and his goons had trapped in their today.

With a quick glance at the clock she grabbed her backpack and exited the vehicle, purposely walking past the dumpster and knocking on it as she passed.

"Hello?" A timid voice asked.

Santana froze mid-step, instantly recognizing the voice. "Berry?" She spun around, fully facing the revolting dumpsters.

"Santana?" Rachel called out softly. "Oh, Santana, please help me out, those neanderthals threw me in here before home room and I'm not strong enough to lift the lid. Quite honestly it smells absolutely horrid in here so it would be greatly appreciated if you would lift the lid and allow me to exit this hell hole."

"Save the rant Berry." Santana barked but she smiled naturally at Rachel's monologue. Santana carefully lifted the heavy lid and peeked inside. Rachel sat cross legged on a pile of garbage, her arms crossed and a scowl adorning her face.

"I do not rant." She argued.

"Yeah and Puck doesn't screw every girl in school."

Rachel's jaw dropped slightly and her eyes narrowed. Santana couldn't help but laugh quietly at the sight before uncharacteristically reaching a hand inside the dumpster to help the damsel in distress. Rachel stared at the offered hand for a good minute.

"Come on Berry, I'm not gonna kill you. I lifted the lid for you, didn't I?"

Rachel seemed to contemplate this for a moment before timidly reaching up and taking the latina's hand. Santana pulled slightly, helping the smaller girl out of the filth. Who once on solid ground began tediously brushing at her clothes.

"What's the matter Berry, didn't bring a change of clothes today? That's risky. I hear Karofsky's got a nice extra large slushy with your name on it."

Rachel flinched almost violently and Santana stepped backwards in surprise, taking in the girl's pained expression.

"I was kidding." She said quickly.

"No you weren't, we both know it's going to happen. And for your information, no, I did not bring a change of clothes today. All of my clothing is packed for New York already."

Santana sighed softly before reaching into her backpack and pulling out an extra pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "They'll be a little big on you, and unfortunately they're not argyle... and there's no sweater with any animals on it. But at least they don't smell like garbage." Santana spoke, avoiding eye contact while zipping up her backpack. "Oh, and if you tell anyone about this then I'll make sure you get it worse then getting stuck in a dumpster."

Santana turned and quickly walked towards the school leaving a very bewildered Rachel Berry holding clothes in her small hands and sporting a rather large grin.

Later that day Santana stood beside Quinn's locker listening to Quinn and Sam fight like always, but also watching a tiny brunette fix her hair in her locker mirror across the hall. Rachel looked up and briefly made eye contact with Santana, smiling brightly. The latina instantly returned the smile, but it faltered quickly when she began to wonder why she was smiling in the first place. As she glanced away she noticed a large boy in a Letterman jacket making his way down the hallway towards the small brunette, an extra large cherry slushy in his right hand.

Before she knew what she was doing, Santana had pushed off of the locker and was now standing face to face with the boy.

"Karofsky." She growled through gritted teeth.

The boy halted, looking down at the cheerio. "What do you want Lopez?"

"I want you to go find someone else to dispose of that slushy upon."

Karofsky barked out a laugh. "Aw, what's the matter Lopez? Don't want me to hurt your little girlfriend."

Santana instantly stiffened. "Back off Karofsky. I'm warning you."

Karofsky grinned cockily. "You're losing your touch Lopez. Going soft on us."

Santana smirked. "Am I? I guess we'll have to change that, won't we."

And with that Santana smacked the bottom of the slushy cup, upending the frozen drink all over the front of the large hockey player. Gasps rang out from the small crowd that had gathered. Santana then stepped sideways, walking past the boy and shouldering him roughly, causing him to stumble back slightly.

"Hey Karafosky!" She called back to the boy who was now dripping in red syrup. "You're losing your touch."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimers: I do not own the show Glee or any of it's characters. If I did. I would follow god damn story lines. **

**I also do not own Katy Perry. **

**A/N – Thank you so much for all the support/alerts/reviews you've given me this far. It really inspires me to keep writing. **

**And remember – More reviews = faster updates**

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As Santana walked into her dark home late that afternoon, the distinct sound of her mother's crying made her freeze on the doorstep.

"Mom?" She called out, but there was no response. "Mom!" She called a little louder, stepping fully inside the house and walking slowly towards the sound. She followed the sound all the way up to her parents bedroom where she found her mother, curled up in a fetal position on the bed, sobs cracking through her frame.

"Mom?" Santana stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on her mom's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Your father he-" Her mother's raw voice cracked and went silent.

Santana's spine straightened almost painfully fast and her right hand clenched into a fist at her side, automatically assuming the worst. "What did he do mom." She spoke through gritted teeth.

Her mom looked up and their eyes connected. "He left." She took in a shaky breath. "He's left us, and asked for a divorce."

Santana's shoulders dropped slightly, thankful that her mom wasn't physically harmed but also immediately wondering how her mom's part time job would be able the support the now family of three.

"Where's Naya?" She questioned quietly.

Her mother shrugged and rolled to face the other way. Panic alarms rang loudly in Santana's head as she spun and ran down the hallway, checking Naya's room only to find it empty. She turned and bolted down the stairs, crashing out the back door and glancing around frantically. The tree house swing swayed gently in the wind but there was still no sign of Naya. Spinning once again she raced to the driveway, pulling out her cell phone as she went. She dialed quickly and brought the phone up to her ear.

"Hey S, I was just gonna text you, do you-"

"Quinn, Naya's gone again." Santana cut off Quinn's question.

"I'll look at the park." Was all Quinn said before the line went dead.

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Santana searched the streets, desperately looking for a glimpse of the smaller latina. This happened every time her parents fought, at the first shout Naya was out the door and trying to escape the yelling. Santana understood the need to escape but she still wished that the girl would come to her rather than running away. The only downfall to that plan was that Santana had cheerios practice every day after school, so she couldn't be around all the time.. Santana had even briefly considered quitting the cheerios just so that she could be there for Naya every day after school.

The chorus of Firework by Katy Perry rang through the car and Santana quickly reaching over and answered the ringing cell phone.

"Yes." She said quickly."

"S, she's here." Quinn said quietly. "I have her, now don't kill yourself speeding over here." But the head cheerios warning fell on deaf ears as Santana immediately accelerated the vehicle and sped off in the direction of the city park.

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Santana pulled into the parking lot and threw the car into park, making it out of the vehicle at record speed, already running towards the distant figures of a blonde and a brunette. As she approached Quinn stepped forward, placing a hand on Santana's shoulder and halting her advances.

"Santana, breathe. She's okay, everything's okay."

Santana looked over Quinn's shoulder at her younger sister sitting on the swing set, scuffing her tennis shoe in the dirt. "It's not Q, not this time." Santana said softly.

Quinn didn't ask any questions, she just nodded and pulled Santana into a brief hug. "Go talk to her. I'll be waiting by the cars if you need anything."

Santana took a deep breathe and walked forward, sitting down on the swing beside Naya, swinging gently and remaining quiet. Naya glanced over, her small eyes puffy and red. "He's gone San, Daddy's gone." She spoke barely above a whisper.

"I know kiddo, but we'll be okay. You'll be okay, I promise." Santana reached over and took Naya's hand into her own, brushing her thumb over the smooth skin on the back of the smaller girl's hand.

Naya smiled weakly. "I know... I'm just scared."

"Don't be scared Nay. Being scared only keeps you from doing what you need to do. Trust me, I know.. I've been scared my whole life." Santana paused. "But I promise you that we'll be okay. I'll make sure of it."

"I know you will San." Naya smiled at her older sister.

"But seriously Nay, you have gotta stop running away like this. One of these times I'm going to have a heart attack and my untimely death will be all your fault." Santana teased gently.

Naya giggled softly but nodded. "Come on." She stood, pulling Santana along. "Let's go home and make mommy dinner."

Santana smiled and kissed the top of Naya's head. "Alright, let's go."

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That night Santana lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. She had finally gotten Naya to go to sleep and her mom was still locked away in her bedroom crying. Santana sighed loudly and sat up, staring at her unpacked bag, before standing up to begin packing. She couldn't believe that by this time tomorrow she'd be in New York, well, all of New Directions would be. She was excited, but at the same time, Nationals couldn't be happening at a worse time. What would happen if Naya ran away again? Santana couldn't do anything about that when she was miles away. What if her mother needed her? There was so many what-if's. Those two simple words seemed to define her entire life lately. But all she could do was support her team at Nationals and call home every day, praying that nothing would happen that would make her abandon her team. Santana yawned and shoved the last sweater she could fit in her bag and zipped it closed, yawning loudly once again. She fell down on top of the covers and let all of her worries slip away as sleep overtook her body.

**Alright so, I know what you're thinking. This is a Pezberry story? Where's the Pezberry? They're coming soon, worry not my readers. This chapter was necessary for the plot though, but please hang in there. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimers: I do not own the show Glee or any of it's characters. If I did, Pezberry, Faberry, and Brittana would have a freaking awesome love square going. **

**remember – More reviews = faster updates**

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The ringing of an alarm clock jolted Rachel upright. Today was the day. Today was the day she left for Nationals. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, stretching as she stood. She wandered towards her bathroom and quickly showering before making her way down the stairs.

"Dad! Daddy?" She called out, but there was no response. As she made it to the kitchen she noticed a piece of note paper lying on the kitchen table.

'Rachel: Your father and I had to leave early for work. We love you and have fun on your trip. Knock 'em dead. Love, Daddy.'

Rachel smiled and placed the note down, walking to the fridge to prepare breakfast.

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The dull buzzing of an alarm clock rang out as a sleepy latina growled and reached over, tossing the offending devil machine across the room, then cursing the God's of time when the annoying buzzing continued.

She rolled off the bed and crashed to the floor, groggily crawling towards the sound, mumbling profanities the entire way. Damn her mother's idea to wrap the alarm clock in bubble wrap.

She'd finally managed to turn the alarm off when Naya bounded into her room.

"San!" Naya yelled, causing Santana to wince at the volume and open one eye before glaring and turning away from the child. "Oh come on San. You leave for New York today!" Naya jumped in excitement. "I have a list of things that you need to buy for me." Santana cracked a smile and glanced at the other girl.

"Oh yeah? And how long is this list exactly?"

"Two pages." Naya seriously stated while grinning widely.

"Two pages? Only two? Wow, I thought you had more in you than that." Santana laughed and pulled the smaller girl into her lap, tickling her relentlessly as Naya squealed, laughing loudly while trying to squirm out of Santana's grasp.

"Girls." Their mother called from the doorway, stopping and smiling at the girls. "Come down for breakfast." She said, smiling once more before walking away.

Santana sat still for a moment, stunned that her mother wasn't still in bed crying, but also relieved that she would be around to look after Naya this week when Santana wasn't.

"Come on San!" Naya called before running from the room.

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Rachel was dragging her oversized duffel bag from the trunk of her car when a hand landed over top of hers, taking the bag out of her hands and pulling it the rest of the way out. Rachel glanced up and was met with a familiar Letterman jacket and a mohawk.

"Why thank you Noah, that's very chivalrous of you."

"That's me." He stated cheekily, throwing in a wink before nodding towards the bus and throwing her pink bag over his shoulder, walking away leaving Rachel to rush to keep pace with the taller boy's strides.

"Are you excited?" She asked quietly.

Puck glanced down at her and smirked. "For sure, it's New York. Lotsa babes for the Puckasaurus."

Rachel rolled her eyes but laughed at the typical Puck statement.

As they climbed on the bus, Puck was instantly pulled away by Mike who had immediately started rambling about some video game. Rachel took a seat near the front of the bus and listened to the excited conversations around her, non of which included her.

She sighed and pulled out her ipod placing the earbuds in her ears and turning it on, leaning her head against the window as the comforting sounds of On My Own from Les Mis filled her eardrums.

As the glee club filed onto the bus, Rachel watched carefully for any sign that one of them would sit down next to her. But one by one they all passed. Finn hesitated by the seat for a moment but passed on like all the others.

The chaos had slowed and they were only waiting for Artie, Santana and Sam before they could finally hit the road. Sam arrived first, faithfully taking his spot next to Quinn at the back of the bus. Artie came next, the boys taking ten minutes to load the boy and his wheelchair safely onto the bus, and Santana came last. She kept her head down the entire way onto the bus. Rachel watched carefully as the dark haired cheerleader took a seat by herself, her gaze still focused on the floor.

Mr. Shue stood and announced their departure causing cheers to erupt throughout the bus. As Santana briefly raised her head Rachel caught sight of the cheerio's red eyes. The girl had obviously been crying recently. Rachel immediately felt a tug in her chest. Santana looked up once more, their eyes connecting briefly before Santana turned to face the window, quickly wiping an escaped tear from her cheek. Rachel fought the urge to stand and go comfort the cheerio, knowing despite the yesterday's events, it did not mean that they were friends, or anywhere close.

Rachel sighed softly and pushed aside her concern, switching her ipod to the Wicked soundtrack and leaning her head back, closing her eyes.

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Santana wiped yet another tear off her cheek and mentally swore at herself for being so weak around people. Even though no one had noticed... Well except Rachel, who didn't seem to care too much about it. She shook her head slightly as if to clear her mind of all the thoughts that caused these damn tears. She wasn't weak and she wouldn't allow herself to be. Especially here, of all places. She roughly wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve before standing and walking to the back of the buss to join Quinn and Brittany.

Sam was in the seat beside Quinn so Santana took the empty seat next to Brittany.

"Hey S." Brittany glanced over, faltering slightly at the sight of the darker girl's still red eyes.

The blonde placed a hand on Santana's knee and leaned in slightly, lowering her voice to a whisper. "What's wrong San? Are you okay?" Brittany asked gently, her words laced with worry.

Santana simply nodded and gave her best attempt at a smile.

The taller cheerio frowned and pulled at her, wrapping an arm around her comfortably. It was nice to know that despite everything the girls had gone through recently, they would still be there for each other, even with their ..slight fling ending horribly when the latina refused to admit the relationship to anyone, including herself.

The conversations around her continued on as Santana closed her eyes and leaned into Brittany's shoulder, slowly drifting off to sleep.

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**Short Chapter. Sorry about that. Now.. Are you guys ready for Pezberry Interaction? Ooh yes, it's coming**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimers: I do not own the show Glee or any of it's characters. If I did, Rachel would have a friend.**

**remember – More reviews = faster updates**

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As the bus squealed to a stop in front of the hotel, it was practically bouncing with excitement from the teenagers inside. They all filtered out of the bus, grabbed their bags and walked into the hotel lobby, gaping at the massive chandelier hanging above them.

The waited very impatiently as Mr. Shue handed each of them their room keys. "Alright, we're meeting for dinner down here at seven, don't be late, and please don't break anything." Shue said pointedly, glancing towards Puck and Finn.

The students took off immediately, racing towards their rooms. Santana on the other hand, walked slowly towards the elevators, waiting for the doors to open and then holding them as Rachel finished some lengthy conversation with Mr. Shue.

Rachel turned and smiled brightly at Santana, obviously thankful for the girl waiting for her. As she stepped into elevator she spoke up. "Thank you for waiting Santana." She smiled up at the taller brunette.

"No problem dwarf." Santana said quickly, avoiding eye contact.

Rachel's shoulders dropped slightly and she looked away from the cheerio, facing the doors and waiting for them to open. The elevator stopped on floor eight and the doors opened slowly. Both girls dragged their bags to room 813, stopping in front of the door. Rachel fumbled with the car key but eventually got the door open and they stepped in slightly.

The froze inside the doorway, in awe of the room. The two queen sized beds faced the flat screen tv that was mounted on the wall. Against the far wall there was a small sitting area with a loveseat and two arm chairs, plus a mahogany desk, beside one of the dressers.

Santana let out a low whistle. "How the hell did our club afford a hotel like this."

Rachel just shrugged, her mouth still slightly agape.

Santana walked around the small girl, claiming the bed by the sitting area and throwing her duffel bag on top of it, unzipping it slightly and pulling out a change of clothes. "I'm taking a shower." She stated simple, glancing at Rachel who still stood rooted to the spot by the door.

Santana laughed quietly causing Rachel's eyes to snap towards her and the diva's jaw to click shut.

"It's not thatt nice Berry." The cheerio teased

Rachel just smiled and blushed slightly, throwing her bag onto the other bed and sitting down next to it. Santana smiled at the other girl as she passed and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and twisting the lock.

She stripped quickly and turned the shower to an almost unbearable heat before stepping inside and letting the hot water relax her tense muscles. Her mind darted between thoughts of her mother and Naya, and this week in New York. She had played out every possible scenario of what could happen this week before the water ran cold.

She turned the shower off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself and sitting on the edge of the tub. She pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket and dialed her home number, listening to it ring twice before someone picked up.

"Hello?" A familiar voice greeted happily.

"Hey Naya." Santana smiled at her sister's voice.

"San!" Naya almost shouted. "How's New York? Is it big? Is it pretty? Did you buy me anything yet?" The small girl spoke at record speeds causing Santana to laugh loudly.

"One question at a time kid. New York is amazing, but we haven't really gone anywhere yet.. We're going out for dinner later though, so I'll call you tonight and let you know what it's like. I was just calling to see how you were, seeing if you were still _at home._" Santana pushed pointedly.

Naya giggled. "I'm fine San. And I promised that I wouldn't leave while you were there. But girl you best be ready for when you get home."

Santana laughed at the smaller girls teasing. "We'll see about that Nay. But I gotta go get ready for dinner. I love you."

"Love you too San! Bye!"

Santana waited for a dial tone before she finally hung up.

She got dressed quickly and left the bathroom, stopping when she saw Rachel. The girl was sitting in one of the arm chairs, chewing on her thumbnail and looking out the window at the city view, seemingly deep in thought. Santana just watched the other girl quietly, slightly in awe of the way the light was hitting Rachel's face. The girl was.. well she was beautiful.

Santana's eyes widened and she shook her head slightly. Rachel Berry was not.. well she.. uhg! Santana's mind argued with itself, but she halted the thoughts by walking fully into the room and coughing to make her presence known.

Rachel glanced over at her. A far off look visibly fading from her eyes. "Hey." Rachel said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice.

Santana quirked an eyebrow at this but ignored it. "Hey jewberry, you ready for dinner?"

Rachel glanced at her wrist watch to confirm the time that Santana already knew, the had fifteen minutes to get down to lobby. "Yeah, let's go." Rachel stood and grabbed her purse off the bed.

Santana checked her pockets to make sure she had the room key before following Rachel out the door.

They waited in front of the elevator, watching the doors open before stepping inside, the elevator beginning it's descent. Suddenly the elevator jerked to a stop, causing both girls to struggle to regain their balance.

Santana tilted her head in curiosity, hitting the lobby button once more. Still the elevator remained motionless. The fluorescent lights above them flickered and Santana heard Rachel's breathe quicken.

The lights then completely cut out, leaving the girls in complete darkness. Rachel squealed and backed up until her spine hit the wall. She slid down to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees and whimpering quietly.

"Rachel?" Santana called quietly, reaching out into the darkness but being met with only air.

"Rachel?" Santana tried once more, but the only sound she could hear was quiet whimpering. She pulled out her cell phone and opened it, letting the blue light illuminate the small elevator.

There in the corner sat Rachel, looking small then ever, her arms wrapped around her knees. "Rachel? Are you okay?"

Rachel's eyes flickered up briefly. "I – I'm not g-good with small... dark places." Rachel stuttered out.

Santana smiled reassuringly. "You'll be okay Rachel, I'll get us out."

Santana went to work, looking around the elevator for anything she could use while dialing Quinn's number and lifting the cell phone to her ear, leaving the whimpering diva in darkness once again.

Quinn picked up almost immediately. "Where the hell are you S. We've been waiting for you guys."

"Me and Berry, we're stuck in the elevator, it stopped working."

Quinn laughed slightly.

"It's not funny Q. Rachel.. she's not doing too well. Just get help. Please." With that Santana hung up and turned her attention back to the girl on the floor.

Rachel had started rocking back and forth, muttering things that Santana couldn't make out.

"Rachel.. I got help. They're coming to get us out, okay?"

The small girl looked up, her eyes filled with fear.

"It's okay, I promise." Santana soothed over and over again but the girl continued shaking. The Cheerio was beginning to seriously worry about the small diva, no matter what she did, it didn't seem to help.

"Berry, come here."

Rachel glanced over at the cheerio and raised an eyebrow, remaining where she was.

"Come on Berry, I'm just trying to help you relax." Santana argued, patting the floor in front of her.

Rachel reluctantly moved in front of the Cheerio and tensed immediately when she felt the girl's hands on her shoulders.

Santana stretched her legs out on either side of the singer and moved up a bit so she was directly behind the girl and began gently massaging the knots out of the smaller girl's shoulders.

Rachel moaned slightly in approval causing Santana to let out a soft laugh. After a few minutes Rachel relaxed, leaning back against Santana's chest as the girl continued the massage.

The elevator shook slightly and Rachel jumped, trying to pull away but Santana wrapped her arms around her, holding onto her tightly. "They're probably just trying to fix it Rachel, it'll be okay."

"You know, I think you've called me Rachel more times today then you have every other day, combined."

Santana laughed quietly at the brunette while twirling the singers soft hair around one of her fingers. "Do you have a problem with that Berry?"

Rachel smiled. "Not at all, I quite enjoy it actually."

"Good." Santana said quietly, pulling the brunette closer to her chest.

Rachel snuggled against her and started playing with the cheerio's free hand, seemingly making sure that each of the fingers was still functional. Santana smiled easily, thinking about their position. Surprisingly, it wasn't awkward at all, in fact she rather enjoyed holding the smaller brunette in her arms. This thought scared her slightly and the hand in Rachel's hair stilled. Rachel leaned back gently, a not so subtle hint for the hand to return to it's previous actions. Santana smiled brightly, going back to playing with the girl's soft tendrils.

The lights above them flickered to life and both girls blinked rapidly, attempting to adjust to the sudden burst of light. Almost immediately Rachel stood, dropping the cheerio's hand and tediously brushing at her clothes, wiping away the non-existent dirt. Santana deflated a bit when Rachel refused to make eye contact with her.

Finally Rachel glanced down at the girl still seated on the floor. "I'd like to thank you for assisting me in my time of need. I assume now that the lights are back on that we will be moving soon. I'd also like to apologize for making you uncomfortable in any way."

"Rachel!" Santana stood quickly. "Seriously, stop ranting, you're giving me a headache. If I was uncomfortable trust me, you'd know." 

Rachel raised her eyebrows slightly. "Well I'm sorry for not realizing that apparently once you're not within McKinley walls you suddenly become human." Rachel snapped.

Santana winced, she deserved that and both of them knew it.

The elevator buzzed to live and continued it's long awaited descent. Rachel huffed loudly and turned to face the doors, tapping her foot impatiently. Santana groaned and turned towards the wall, resting her forehead against it.

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The elevator finally reached lobby and the doors opened, revealing the entire glee club waiting on the other side, everyone except Shue wearing worried expressions.

Both girls were ushered from the elevator and Santana was immediately enveloped in a hug from Brittany. "I thought it got you." The blonde said worriedly.

Santana laughed at her friend. "I'm fine B."

The glee club surrounded Santana, each one asking questions repeatedly, but Santana's eyes searched for a certain brunette.

Her eyes finally landed on the girl. She stood off to the side, alone. Apparently none of the glee club cared enough to wonder how she was. Santana was done with this. She pushed her way out of the small crowd ad stood beside Rachel.

"I'm fine and so is _Rachel_. The other person who was stuck in the elevator, but none of you seem to give a shit about that." Santana snapped.

Rachel's eyes met Santana with a surprised look that quickly faded to a guarded one.

"Now let's go to dinner, I'm starving." Santana growled out and walked away, leaving the glee club in awe of the cheerios outburst.

Quinn was the first one to move, she quickly caught up with her fellow cheerleader and nudged her.

"What Q. I'm really not in the mood right now." Santana was still visibly pissed.

"Jeez S. Since when do you care so much about man hands."

"Don't call her that." Santana immediately snapped.

Quinn raised her hands as a sign of surrender. "What, did you get some in that elevator or something? At least let me be maid of honour at your wedding."

Santana let out a low growl and frowned. "We both know that's not true. Shut up."

"Oh my God." Quinn glanced back to make sure none of the club was within hearing distance. "You like her! Why didn't you tell me!" Quinn said almost angrily.

"I do not.. like her.. she's just not that bad Q. Jesus, give her a chance." Santana fumed, turning and walking back to the group, effectively halting all future questions from the head cheerio

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**Andd there's your first Pezberry interaction. **

**A/N The next update won't be coming as quick as these ones have because I have a busy few days coming up. But keep reviewing and I'll get it up as soon as possible :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimers: I do not own the show Glee or any of it's characters. If I did, Santana's character would be developed a lot better.**

**remember – More reviews = faster updates**

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Dinner was an awkward affair to say the least. Santana sat in between Brittany and Puck to try and stay as far away from Quinn as she could, and Rachel sat directly across the table between Mr. Shue and Finn, still refusing to make eye contact. Santana rolled her eyes and tried to focus on her menu instead of the diva.

After a few minutes, the waitress came and began taking orders. Santana took a sip of her water as she listed to her fellow glee club members order burgers and fries. The waitress finally got to Santana and the cheerio took one last glance at her menu.

"I'll have a garden salad, no dressing." The waitress still stood there as if expecting the cheerleader to order more. "That's it." Santana clarified annoyed that she had to. The young waitress looked surprised but nodded, blushing with embarrassment and taking Santana's menu. The latina could feel Rachel's eyes on her finally, but this time she was the one who refused to look up and instead focused on a loose thread on the table cloth.

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The conversations around her flowed, but Rachel remained focused on the dark haired cheerio. She was still in awe of what the cheerleader had done. From helping her in the elevator, to standing up for her in the hotel lobby. Rachel was utterly confused. She never expected something like this from anyone, least of all Santana. The latina had spent their entire high school career tormenting her. Why change now? It must be some kind of joke.. that was the only explanation, wasn't it? It just didn't seem that way in the elevator.. when the cheerleader was holding her.. it felt.. well it felt nice, and quite frankly, she missed it. But it must have just been some kind of fluke. The cheerio she knew would never consider touching her let alone playing with her hair. She also sure as hell wouldn't stand up for her. Rachel decided that there was only one possible explanation for this. She didn't know this cheerio as well as she thought she did. The question was, did anybody?

The latina glanced up for a quick moment and Rachel smiled at her gently. The cheerio lifted one corner of her mouth before returning to playing with the tablecloth. Rachel felt the tugging desperate need to make the girl smile, a really smile, not a half-ass one like the one she just witnessed. Rachel racked her brain for any possible ideas before a smile spread across her face.

She scooted her chair forward, as close to the table as she possibly could and reached her foot underneath the table as non-nonchalantly as she could. When she was first met with Santana's foot. She pulled away momentarily, judging the cheerio's reaction. Santana managed to stiffen and relax all in the same second as she slowly raised her gaze to meet Rachel's. Rachel watched as a large grin slowly spread it's way across Santana's face. Rachel unknowingly mirrored the expression as a certain blonde cheerleader at the end of the table watched in complete confusion.

The girls' interaction was interrupted when the waiter appeared with everyone's meals. Santana glanced around at her fellow glee club members as they all dug into their meals before staring down at her plain, unappetizing salad and poking the limp lettuce leaves with her fork. Rachel watched her carefully, her eyes dancing with curiosity before gently pushing over her plate of fries. Santana smiled weakly and shook her head, rejecting the offer. Rachel's head tilted to one side wondering why Santana wouldn't take some of her food when it was so obvious that she had no interest in her own.

'Come on.' Rachel mouthed to her, smiling in encouragement.

Santana was fighting an inner battle. She knew that she shouldn't eat them, coach would kill her if she gained any weight.. but they just looked so... orgasmic. Santana licked her lips and her stomach growled quietly.

Rachel was still watching expectantly so Santana finally gave in, grabbing one of the fries and placing it in her mouth, inwardly melting at the greasy salty delight that she had been denying her body for months.

Rachel looked completely pleased with herself as Santana began to devour the entire plate of fries. Conversations around them flowed naturally as Santana focused on the fries and Rachel focused on Santana, smiling every so often at the faces and noises that Santana would make as she obviously enjoyed the meal.

After awhile everyone was done eating, a few of them leaving back in their chairs and rubbing their hands over their full bellies. Santana on the other hand was hunched over in her seat, her stomach churning and the feel of regret weighing heavily on her shoulders. Do you know how long it would take her to work off all those calories? She shuddered just thinking about it. She couldn't focus on working out right now, eating that was such a mistake.

Her stomach heaved momentarily and Santana gagged, immediately excusing herself from the table and rushing towards the bathroom, praying that nobody would follow her. She checked beneath each of the stall doors, making sure the bathroom was completely empty before darting into a stall, not even bothering to lock it before she fell to her knees and continued dry heaving.

The main bathroom door swung open loudly and Santana cupped a hand over her mouth, preventing any loud noises to draw attention to her position.

"Santana?" Rachel's familiar voice called out.

Fuck. It had to be Rachel didn't it. Santana quickly wondered why no one else had bothered to come but quickly pushed the thought aside.

The stall door was pushed open gently and Rachel stood there, a pained expression on her face. "Santana... you're not doing what I think you're doing. Are you? Oh God. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry Santana. I'm so very sorry." Rachel squeaked out.

Santana groaned at the girl's dramatics. "Berry, come on. This is not your fault so stop trying to blame yourself."

"Come on, let's go. Don't do this, we'll leave! I'll take you back to the hotel and we'll get away from everyone and it'll be okay." Rachel rambled on.

"You'll take me back to the hotel huh?" Santana asked flirtatiously, raising her eyebrows to try and lighten the mood.

Rachel flushed a fiery red and scuffed her toe on the tile floor. The light red dusting across the bridge of the diva's nose, Santana decided, was the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

Santana laughed lightly and stood, ignoring the violent churning in the pit of her stomach. "Come on Berry, let's go then."

Rachel just nodded and turned, leading the way out the door and making a beeline towards Mr. Schue, telling him that they were going back and grabbing both of their coats before walking back to Santana.

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The walk back to the hotel down the street was a silent one. Which was awkward because Rachel was never silent. Yet.. there she was, hands in the pockets of her red pea coat, just staring straight ahead with a far off look in her eyes.

That look lasted all the way until they stood in front of the hotel elevator when it was finally replaced with a look of utter fear. Santana took one look at the smaller girl and turned, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the door that lead to the stairs. They would have to climb eight floors but Rachel needed it and Santana knew that.

They made it to the fifth floor before Santana realized that she was still holding Rachel's hand. She dropped it immediately and wiped the sweat on her pant leg, instantly missing the warmth that the girl's hand had provided.

Both girl's still remained silent until they stood in front of their door. Santana pulled out her card key and had the door handle turned when she was stopped by Rachel's hand covering her own. She turned and met the smaller girl's eyes.

"I'm sorry Santana." Rachel said quietly. "For what I said in the elevator, that was uncalled for, and for at dinner.."

"Rachel I-" Santana was cut off by the ringing of her cell phone.

The cheerleader hesitated, glancing between the phone and Rachel before the singer nodded. "I'll be inside." She said simply before walking into the hotel room and leaving Santana alone in the hallway.

"Hello." Santana answered roughly, annoyed at the interruption.

"San." The voice was timid and raw, cracking painfully at the end.

"Naya what's wrong honey?" Santana's heart went into panic mode, pounding inside her chest.

"Mom—Dad—Drunk—Fight – hurt – mommy." Was all that Santana could make out of the now sobbing girl's attempt at a sentence.

"Where are you? Where's mom? Where's he?" Santana seethed through her gritted teeth.

The smaller Lopez sniffed loudly. "We're at home... He left but Mom won't talk to me. I think he hit her really hard San. I don't know what to do. I don't-"

"It's okay Naya, I'll find a way to get home and help okay. Just hang in there for me. Be strong for me. Mommy needs you to be strong." Santana soothed as calmly as she could.

Naya agreed and the line went dead. Hot tears left streaks of burning liquid on Santana's cheeks as she frantically tried to think of a way to get home. Her tears fell as she crashed through the hotel room door, startling Rachel who was sitting on her bed reading a book.

"Santana what's-" Rachel froze at the sight of the latina. "What's wrong?" The singer stood.

"My dad, he hurt my mom, and I need-" She drew in a shuddering breath. "I need to help her, I need to help my sister. I-I gotta get back." Santana's stomach clenched and she heaved, covering her mouth with her hand and darting to the bathroom, emptying the contents of her stomach into the porcelain bowl.

The cheerio could faintly hear the sound of Rachel talking to someone as she wretched some more, gripping the sides of the seat. After a few minutes and her stomach repeatedly clenching despite there being anything within it, Santana stood, facing the mirror and rinsing her mouth out with water and the complimentary hotel mouth wash.

When she looked up at the mirror she was met with Rachel's reflection. The girl stood staring at her from the doorway. Their eye contact through the mirror was steady for a minute before the shorter girl spoke. "I called my fathers, they're already headed to your house to pick up your sister and your mom."

Santana visibly relaxed, knowing that they would at least be safe. "Thank you." She said quietly, her words etched with sincerity. Rachel simply nodded, watching the other girl warily. "What?" Santana questioned.

"You can't go Santana, we need you. We won't have enough members otherwise. I assure you, your family is in good hands with my fathers. Please at least consider staying."

Santana knew the team needed her, but her family needed her too. Which one was she supposed to choose?

"Two days Berry, then if they need me, I'm gone. Glee club or no glee club."

Rachel seemed shocked by the cheerio's answer but nodded curtly. "Do you need anything else?"

"No." Santana said quickly. She would not accept sympathy from anybody, let alone Rachel Berry.

"Alright. Well I'm going to bed then, and I suggest you do too. We have an early practice tomorrow before preliminaries."

Santana nodded and watched the girl's reflection disappear. She scrubbed her face, removing the rivers of mascara running down her face and thoroughly brushed her teeth... twice.. before exiting the bathroom. The singer was already in bed, facing the wall so the cheerio couldn't tell if she was sleeping or not. Santana climbed into her bed, pulling the covers to her chin and begging sleep to come. Eventually.. it did.

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Her parents were there, screaming at each other but Santana couldn't hear any sounds. She looked around and saw Naya, she was carefully peaking around the living room corner. Santana watched as her father stepped forward, raising his fist and swinging, a sickening crack echoing through the room as the fist connected with her mother's jaw. Santana lunged at her father but she was held back by some invisible force. She desperately pulled but it still held her back, not allowing her to go to her mother's aid. She watched as her mom crumpled to the ground. She watched as her dad pulled his foot back, swinging a black boot in the direction of the woman on the ground.

"Mom!" Santana jolted awake, sitting up abruptly, her scream dying on her lips. Suddenly there was a body behind her and warm, comforting arms holding her tight and rocking slightly as sobs ripped through the latina's body. She knew it was Rachel, it had to be. But the question was why? Why was the girl helping her. After everything she had done and said, she definitely didn't deserve it.

After awhile, her sobs quieted but the gentle rocking continued. Rachel had began humming quietly, a soothing tune that Santana could not place. Santana's eyes drifted shut against her will until she felt the warmth surrounding her leave.

"Rachel." Santana called, barely above a whisper. "Please don't go." She begged.

There was no movement for over a minute and Santana sighed, laying down and letting a few new tears flood her eyes. She sniffled and the warmth returned. Rachel's body pressing against Santana's back, the diva's arm draped loosely over the latina's waist. Her warm breath prickling the skit at the back on Santana's neck.

Santana breathed in deeply, inhaling the scene of the girl. She smelled faintly of roses, it fit her perfectly. Santana sighed once more, this time in content as she allowed the smaller girl to hold her, both of the girls drifting off to sleep.

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**Andd that's it. Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I'll try and get the next one up a lot sooner!**


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